Man’s embryo successfully cloned in the US

[notsosilentbob]

US scientists say they have produced embryos that are clones of two men, in an attempt to produce patient-specific stem cells. Researchers removed DNA from donated human eggs, and replaced it with DNA from the skin cells of two volunteers. They produced embryos with genetic material that matched the men’s, but did not go on to extract stem cells. The team at Stemagen Corporation in La Jolla, California, says the work could be an important step to developing embryonic stem cells for patients. They produced five embryos called blastocysts from 25 donated eggs. DNA fingerprinting proved that at least one of these was a clone.

“We’re the first in the world to take adult human cells and then document that in fact we were able to clone embryos from them,” lead researcher Dr Samuel Wood told the BBC. He said the embryos were destroyed in the process of verifying they were clones, but they were now working on creating stem cell lines. Dr Lyle Armstrong of Newcastle University is one of a handful of other researchers who have made cloned human embryos using a technique known as nuclear transfer pioneered in Dolly the sheep. Unlike the US team, the Newcastle group used DNA from embryonic rather than mature tissue. Dr Armstrong said the US study showed that the objective of using cells from an adult person to make individual stem cells might one day be possible.

Source: BBC

[teflon]

Originally Posted by notsosilentbob

the objective of using cells from an adult person to make individual stem cells might one day be possible.

I would think so. It's weird to imagine what could happen though, like regeneration treatments that almost nullify ageing which people could go on when they were about 25. But then people would really have to cut down on having kids otherwise it would become jam-packed with humans.
Also grandparents and parents would lose authority a bit because they would be the same physical age from 25 on but I suppose great-grandad could have spent years doing different martial arts and noshing nandrelone and become completely formidable. Also all those old great-aunts etc who idolise nephews-in-law would still be attractive and family gatherings could become a complete can of worms.
It boggles the brainbox.

[meow]

not sure what theyd do about the brain ageing tho, unless they could grow a new brain, now theres an idea actually i feel like I could do with a new brain sometimes, i think ive worn this one out a bit